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We all want to be healthy. I mean who wants to visit doctors frequently?!But despite all resolutions and pledges to staying healthy and not succumbing to junk food like burger, pizza etc. I often find myself deviating from all my best intentions towards staying and eating healthy.A first time mom with a just-started-walking kid, staying fit the traditional way with gymming and dieting is just not possible. I have to be creative in my efforts to staying healthy and fit.

Here are the top ways that I have incorporated in my life to ensure that I stay happy, healthy and glowing:1) Stay happy to stay healthy

A calm and happy mind is the first pre-requisite for staying illness free. Human mind is very powerful, if we succeed in training our mind to being positive and happy, we will automatically feel a renewed strength in our immune system and betterment of our health.I listen to soothing music, read inspirational and entertaining literature, indulge in my hobby of gardening and try to imitate my kid's happiness in small things that we often take for granted to train my mind to stay happy.2) Drink lots of waterIt has been my experience that dehydration often causes irritation and makes our immune system weak, causing illness. So I aim at drinking atleast 2 litres of water to stay hydrated and healthy.Plus, water is calorie free so it nourishes my body without making me fat. Staying hydrated also ensures radiant and glowing skin.Sometimes I spike my water with lemon juice or amla (Indian gooseberry) juice to add the nutritional, cleansing qualities of lemon and amla to detoxify my body of harmful chemicals.

3) Replace normal tea/coffee with green tea and/or green coffee.I am a chaiaholic and cant resist tea. But while I love tea, I also know that milk tea and milk coffee have added calories that are not useful to my body. So I have introduce green tea and green coffee in my daily schedule which have anti-oxidants with zero calories and which also detoxify and strengthen my immune system, not to mention reduce fat.I take atleast two cups of green tea or green coffee, depending on my mood to ensure I stay healthy and this way, I get my to indulge my tea love without harming my health in the process.4) Eat lots of fruits and vegetablesWith a small kid, everyone at home is extra vigilant to serve him all kinds of fresh fruits and even experiment with vegetables to prepare the healthiest of dishes. Having a kid opened my eyes to staying healthy because I want to lead by example and so I try and include atleast three helpings of fresh fruits, eat lots of vegetables in the form of salads, soups and curries.

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Encouraging my kid to eat fresh and go green is the first step towards getting him and myself in top form.5) Less Salt for more lifeExcess processed salt that contains sodium is often the main culprit behind high blood pressure and can lead to many other forms of diseases so I try to limit my processed salt intake to one teaspoon and replace processed salt with rock salt, ajwain (carom seeds) and limit my intake of processed, packed food that contains lots of unnecessary sodium harmful to health.6) Be thankfulIt has been proven in research that people who count their blessings and are thankful for what they have are generally more healthy and live longer, fuller lives as compared to people feeling dissatisfied with their lives.

I play a game with my kid where we count our blessings and then thank God. He is still a baby and most times I know he doesn't understand a thing of what I am saying but still that innocent smile gives me hope that all is well in my life!7) Take time out to playWhile I know I cant leave my kid to go to a dedicated gym, I can always get my exercise by playing with my baby. Kids are energetic and need to expend energy which gives me the perfect workout and also acts as bonding time between mother and son.I perform stationary jogging while cooking and watching TV which has proven a great way of getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight.

8) Less oil and only health friendly oilI love fried food but also know that the oil I use plays a big part in me being healthy and fit so I have switched to Saffola Active cooking oil that is heart and health friendly.Apart from this, I also try to dry roast, steam and boil my food more rather than fry. Zero-oil recipes are always my top search nowadays!9) Emotional managementSuppressing emotion is a sure shot way of getting unhealthy. Proper emotional outlets should be a part of our life. Be it stress, anger, grief or any other kind of emotion, expressing it in a constructive way is the key to a healthier life.

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I have taken to laughing loudly, playing with my kid, watching my favourite movies, reading my all-time favourite books, doing some stretching yoga asans or expressing my negative emotions through aerobics to the tune of hard rock! Counting to ten and back never worked for me so the above tricks are some of the ways I use to lift my mood.There are so many ways to staying healthy if only we are dedicated enough to find them. Health is wealth so if you haven't started taking steps to staying fit, now is the time.The above are some of the ways in which I stay #ApneTareekeSeHealthy. How do you stay fit? Do share your tips with me in the comments section below.I am joining Saffola #ApneTareekeSeHealthy initiative and sharing my ways of being healthy in association with BlogAdda.